Ruffle Table Decor: 13 Frilly Holiday Table Ideas Everyone Is Copying This Season

Ruffle table decor is the sweetest holiday trend of the year, and the numbers prove it. According to a holiday trend report shared on October 21, searches for ruffle tablecloths are up a jaw dropping 841 percent, and table decor in general is climbing fast with younger shoppers. The new motto is simple: a table is an outfit. Just like a favorite dress, it deserves a little frill, a bow and a pop of color. With Thanksgiving on November 26 and Christmas dinners right behind it, now is the perfect time to dress your table up. The best part is that most of these ideas need no sewing machine at all, just fabric, ribbon, paper and a free evening. Here are 13 frilly ideas to make your holiday table the one everyone remembers..

Ruffle Table Decor Starts With a No Sew Tablecloth Edge

You do not need to buy a new tablecloth to join this trend. A flat bed sheet or a plain cloth can get a big ruffled edge with fabric glue or iron on hem tape. Gather a long strip of fabric into soft folds and attach it all the way around. Pink, red and cream look festive together, and gingham feels cozy. Once the ruffle goes on, the whole table suddenly looks dressed for a party. This is the first step, so let’s get going..

You will need: A flat sheet or plain tablecloth, a long strip of matching or contrasting fabric, iron on hem tape or fabric glue, pins and an iron.

How to make it: 1. Cut a fabric strip about twice the length of the tablecloth edge. 2. Pinch and pin it into soft folds along the edge. 3. Fuse it in place with hem tape and an iron, or glue it, then let it set.

Chair Skirts Tied With Satin Bows

Chair skirts take ruffle table decor one step further and make a dining room feel like a special event. A simple ruffled panel tied around the back of each chair with a satin bow is enough. You can make them from leftover fabric or old curtains. They are perfect for the main chairs at the head of the table, or for every seat if you are feeling fancy. Which color would match your dishes?

You will need: Fabric panels, wide satin ribbon, fabric glue or hem tape, scissors and an iron.

How to make it: 1. Cut a fabric panel to fit around the chair back. 2. Glue a gathered ruffle along the bottom edge. 3. Glue ribbon ties to each side and tie it on with a bow.

Frilly Napkins With Soft Edges

Ruffle napkins are the easiest ruffle table decor you can make, and they add a soft, romantic touch to each plate. Glue a narrow gathered strip of fabric around a plain cotton napkin, or buy linen napkins and add a lace edge. Fold them simply so the frill shows. For more ways to style them, our Christmas napkin folding guide has lots of easy folds. Would you choose crisp white or blush pink?

You will need: Plain cotton napkins, narrow fabric strips or lace trim, fabric glue and an iron.

How to make it: 1. Iron the napkins flat. 2. Glue a gathered strip or lace trim around the edges. 3. Let them dry, then fold and place one on each plate.

Paper Place Cards With a Frilly Trim

Place cards tell guests they were expected and loved. Fold small cards from thick paper, then glue a strip of crepe paper along the bottom and stretch it gently so it ruffles. Write each name by hand. Kids can help with the ruffles. They look like tiny skirts sitting at every place. Who will sit next to whom this year?

You will need: Thick card stock, crepe paper in matching colors, a glue stick, scissors and a pen.

How to make it: 1. Cut and fold small tent cards. 2. Glue a strip of crepe paper along the bottom edge. 3. Gently stretch the paper edge to ruffle it and write each name.

Ruffle Table Decor Centerpiece: Coffee Filter Flowers

Coffee filters have naturally ruffly edges, which makes them perfect paper flowers. Dip them in watercolor or food coloring, let them dry, then pinch and twist them into blooms. Put a big bunch in a white pitcher and you have a soft, frilly centerpiece that costs almost nothing. It is a fun craft to do the weekend before a big dinner. What colors will your flowers be?

You will need: Paper coffee filters, watercolors or food coloring, floral wire, green tape and a pitcher or vase.

How to make it: 1. Dye the filters and let them dry flat. 2. Stack four filters, pinch the center and wrap it with floral wire. 3. Fluff the layers into a bloom and arrange them in the pitcher.

Ruffle Table Decor With a Plaid Runner

If a full ruffled tablecloth feels like too much, start with a runner. A red plaid runner with a frilly edge looks warm and cozy for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Glue a gathered strip of the same fabric along both long sides. It goes over a plain cloth or right on a wooden table. Is plaid your holiday favorite?

You will need: A plaid fabric strip for the runner, extra plaid fabric for the ruffles, fabric glue or hem tape and an iron.

How to make it: 1. Hem the runner edges with tape. 2. Gather the ruffle strips and glue them along both long sides. 3. Press lightly and lay it down the center of the table.

Scalloped Paper Placemats

Scalloped edges are the cousin of ruffle table decor, and they are easy to make from paper. Trace around a jar lid along the edge of a sheet of thick paper and cut out the curves. Soft pink, sage and cream look lovely layered under plates. They are cheap enough to toss after a messy meal, too. Will you make a set for every holiday?

You will need: Large sheets of thick paper, a jar lid or round template, a pencil and scissors.

How to make it: 1. Trace half circles along all four edges of the paper. 2. Cut along the curves. 3. Layer each placemat under a plate.

A Frilly Skirt for the Cake Stand

Bring ruffle table decor to the dessert table with a ruffled skirt around the cake stand. Wrap a gathered strip of fabric or tulle around the base and secure it with a ribbon. It makes even a store bought cake look like a bakery showpiece. You can match it to the tablecloth or use a bold contrast color. Which dessert will wear the skirt?

You will need: A cake stand, a strip of fabric or tulle, a ribbon, fabric glue or safety pins.

How to make it: 1. Measure around the cake stand base. 2. Gather a strip twice that length into soft folds. 3. Wrap it around the base and tie it on with ribbon.

Ruffle Table Decor for Thanksgiving: Gingham Tablecloth

Gingham and ruffles together feel like a country kitchen at Thanksgiving. A brown, orange or red gingham cloth with a wide ruffle around the edge sets a warm, happy mood. Add mini pumpkins, wheat stems and battery LED candles down the middle, never real flames. It is the kind of table that makes people linger after pie. What will you serve first?

You will need: A gingham tablecloth or fabric, a wide gingham ruffle strip, hem tape or fabric glue, mini pumpkins and battery LED candles.

How to make it: 1. Attach the ruffle strip around the cloth edge. 2. Lay the cloth on the table. 3. Line the center with pumpkins, wheat and LED candles.

A Velvet Tree Skirt With a Big Frill

Carry the look from the table to the tree with a velvet ruffled tree skirt. A circle of velvet with a big gathered ruffle around the edge looks rich and soft under the branches. Pick the same color as your table ruffles so the whole room feels pulled together. It is a cozy finishing touch for Christmas morning photos. Red or emerald green?

You will need: A large circle of velvet fabric, a long velvet strip for the ruffle, fabric glue or hem tape and scissors.

How to make it: 1. Cut a large circle with a slit and a small center hole. 2. Gather the velvet strip and glue it around the outer edge. 3. Wrap it around the tree base.

Pleated Paper Fan Chargers

Pleated paper fans make quick and pretty chargers under each plate. Fold paper back and forth like an accordion, then fan it into a circle and glue the ends. They look like ruffled rosettes. Gold, cream and blush are classic for the holidays. They take minutes and make every place setting feel special. How many guests are you expecting?

You will need: Large sheets of thick decorative paper, a ruler, a glue stick and double sided tape.

How to make it: 1. Fold a long strip of paper into narrow accordion pleats. 2. Join the ends and fan it into a circle. 3. Glue a paper circle on the back to hold the shape.

A Tulle Garland Fit for a Party

A tulle garland swagged along the edge of the table is ruffle table decor at its most playful. Tie short strips of tulle onto a long ribbon, fluff them up and pin the garland along the tablecloth edge. It looks like a ballerina skirt for your table. Use soft pink for a girly brunch or white and silver for a winter wonderland. Which party would you plan around it?

You will need: Rolls of tulle, a long ribbon, scissors and safety pins or clear tape.

How to make it: 1. Cut tulle into strips about 12 inches long. 2. Tie each strip onto the ribbon and push them close together. 3. Pin the garland along the table edge in gentle swags.

Ruffle Table Decor Finale: Mismatched Thrifted Plates

Finish your ruffle table decor with a treasure hunt. Mismatched vintage plates from thrift stores look charming on a ruffled cloth, and no two place settings are the same. Look for florals, gold rims and soft colors that tie back to your ruffles. Guests love comparing their plates, and you can collect more all year. Which pattern would you hunt for first?

You will need: Mismatched thrifted plates, a ruffled tablecloth, cloth napkins and simple glasses.

How to make it: 1. Wash and sort the plates by color. 2. Mix patterns so each setting looks balanced. 3. Set them on the ruffled cloth with napkins and glasses.